Description

This edited collection, in honour of the late political scientist Peter Mair, contains original chapters that are directly linked to his theoretical and/or methodological ideas and approaches.

Peter Mair demonstrated that political parties have traditionally been central actors in European politics and an essential focus of comparative European political science. Though the nature of political parties and the manner in which they operate has been subject to significant change in recent decades, parties remain a crucial factor in the working of European liberal democracies. This volume analyses recent developments and current challenges that European parties, party systems and democracy face.

The volume will be of key interest to students and scholars of comparative politics, democracy studies, political parties, and European politics and European Union studies.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction Ferdinand Müller-Rommel Part One: Comparative and National Politics 2 Mapping definitions of feudalism: A conceptual analysis Jørgen Møller 3 Fill in the void? The politics of institutional reform in times of democratic crisis in Ireland Camille Bedock4 Party competition and policy output in Ireland Evelyne Hübscher 5 Regional presidents, multi-level parties and organizational stratarchy: The case of Italy Alex Wilson Part Two: Political Parties and Party Systems 6 The attitudinal implications of the cartel party thesis: Ideological convergence and political efficacy in contemporary democracies Sergi Pardos-Prado and Pedro Riera 7 Conflict regulation in political parties: Organizational and legal dimensions Nicole Bolleyer 8 Party system institutionalization: A travelling concept? Fernando Casal Bértoa Part Three: European Union 9 Representing without governing Jorge Fernandes and David M. Willumsen 10 Perspectives on the development of transnational party system in the European Union after the 2014 elections to the European Parliament Wojciech Gagatek 11 Mapping the Europarties’ ideological development Edoardo Bressanelli 12 Collusion in bicameral EU decision-making: The impact of early agreements on representation and committee influence in the European Parliament Nikoleta Yordanova Part Four: (The Future) of Party Democracy 13 Hollowed democracy? Studying the consequences of a changing demos Yvette Peters 14 How parties self-legitimize. An analysis of party laws Daniela Piccio 15 Non-majoritarian institutions: A challenge for liberal democracy? Christel Koop 16 How parties govern. An overview of the changing patterns of party legitimacy in Europe Caterina Froio and Conor Little

About the Series

West European Politics has established itself as the foremost journal for the comparative analysis of European political institutions, politics and public policy. Its comprehensive scope, which includes the European Union, makes it essential reading for both academics and political practitioners. The books in this series have originated from special issues published by West European Politics.